Urban Structure as a Repository of Social Content - the Case Study of the Lodz 'Jewish District'

摘要

The spatial structure of the city rests at the confluence of the human nature and the artefact of the era. Cultural factors are among important determinants of the shape of structures and of the construction process. Each community has its own distinctive social characteristics. An analysis of the spatial record of community functioning preserved in the physiognomy of a city allows for the comparison of features of different groups of city users. Lodz is said to be the city of four cultures. Its construction is attributed to Poles, Russians, Jews and Germans. The spatial distribution of different nations in the city downtown was not even, although the whole area was inhabited by the mixed population. The downtown part of the current Baluty district was among the regions where Jewish nationality prevailed. The paper analyses the spatial features of the area, with emphasis on morphological characteristics of buildings and public spaces.